Set in Motion
by tramplebunnie
Summary: Harry and his friends start sixth year with new allainces and old enemies. hd
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Welcome to my very first Harry Potter fan fiction. This story is going to be an eventual romance between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy so if you are not into that sort of thing, consider yourself warned. This fic is going to take place starting sometime after the 5th book, let's just pretend the 6th book never happened.

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or any other character associated with the series, if I did Harry and Draco would have been in love for years now and none of my books would ever have been published.

* * *

A sharp tapping sound woke Harry Potter out of a not too peaceful sleep. He had been dreaming of the night his godfather Sirius had died, reliving the moment when Sirius had fallen through the veil. It had taken Harry a long time to accept the fact that Sirius was really gone. He still blamed himself for the death. No matter how many times his friends told him it wasn't his fault, Harry could not let go of the guilt he felt. If only he had kept up with his Occlumency lessons to keep Voldemort out of his head, if only he had been stronger, Sirius might still be here. Harry felt tears start to fill his eyes and was about to succumb to the sobs that threatened to bubble out when the tapping sound started again.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, Harry reached over to his night table and grabbed his glasses. When the room was no longer blurry, just dark, Harry sat up and looked to his window where the tapping was coming from.

Hedwig was perched on the windowsill staring at Harry expectantly. When Harry made no immediate move to let her in, Hedwig began to tap again. The noise finally registered in Harry's mind and he quickly got up to let Hedwig in before she woke the Dursleys. The Dursleys had spent most of the summer ignoring Harry, for fear of saying something that would upset the boy and get back to one of the wizards that threatened them at the beginning of the summer if Harry was not treated right. This suited Harry just fine, he didn't want to have to deal with the Dursleys on top of his grief.

Harry opened the window and let his owl in. He took the letter she offered him and gave her an affectionate pat before Hedwig took off out the window again. Sitting back down on his bed Harry stared warily at the letter, instantly recognizing the hand writing as that of Professor Dumbledore. Harry started to feel dread as he continued to stare at the letter, willing it not to be bad news. Ever since he had returned to the Dursleys for the summer, Harry had been receiving regular posts from his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, informing him as much as they could of the latest news about the impending war. He had also received a few letters from various members of the Order, which although didn't divulge very much information were still appreciated. They were trying to keep him as informed as they could as opposed to the previous summer when he had been left in the dark and more than a little frustrated.

Now that Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, and the rest of the wizarding world had accepted the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, there had been a lot of things happening in the world of magic. Aurors had been placed on many large public places, to keep watch and to try to keep the peace as many witches and wizards had started to panic in the face of the upcoming danger. House raids had increased, resulting in the arrests of several witches and wizards who were found to have dark artifacts in their homes and were suspected of either aiding Voldemort or being full-fledged Death Eaters. Fudge had stopped trying to persecute members of the Order and although he still feared losing support to Dumbledore, he feared Voldemort more and finally accepted Dumbledore's offer of help, forming an alliance of sorts with the Order.

Unfortunately while the ministry and world of magic were preparing for war, Voldemort and his followers were gathering and gaining in strength. Although there had yet to be any large scale attacks, there had been quite a few disappearances and deaths. The dementors had left Azkaban, taking captured Death Eaters with them. There had also been a large movement from the remaining giants, which most took as a sign that the battle would soon begin in full swing.

Harry knew that there was more happening than what he had been told so far in his letters, and although he hated not being told everything, he knew there was a chance the letters could be confiscated before they got to him. Information in the enemy's hands could be deadly, so Harry took what information he got and was happy to have not been forgotten. The one person whom he had not heard from all summer had been Dumbledore, until now.

Harry warily turned the letter over in his hands and once again hoped it did not contain bad news. He started imagining all sorts of things that could have happened; maybe one of the Weasleys had been hurt or killed, or something could have happened to Hagrid, who was once again out on a mission for the Order, or maybe Voldemort's forces had begun a large scale attack. Realizing that he could sit there all day and continue working himself up without ever guessing the true message in the letter, Harry took a deep breath and opened it.

_Harry,_

_Please forgive me for the late hour I did not wish to disturb your sleep but could not afford to send this to you much later in the day. Things, which I dare not mention for fear of this letter falling into the wrong hands, have been set in motion. It is time for you to rejoin the wizarding world once more. Please have your trunk packed and ready, someone will be there to pick you up at precisely 10 o'clock this morning. Do not go anywhere with them until you are quite certain they are who they appear to be. Remember the enemy has eyes and ears everywhere._

_Albus Dumbledore _

Once Harry finished reading the letter, he blinked a few times; he then stared at the letter, before reading it through two more times. It took a while for the words and their meaning to sink in. A small smile crept onto his face; he was going to be leaving the Dursleys in a few hours.

* * *

Thetime passed by quickly for Harry, as he ran about trying to find everything he would need. He happily informed the Dursleys that he would be leaving, and although they were worried about who would be coming to get him, hoping the neighbors didn't see, they were happy to see him go. He had just finished lugging all of his stuff into the front hall when the clock chimed 10 and there was a sharp knock on the door.

Harry was about to pull open the front door when he remembered Dumbledore's warning and quickly ran to the front window to see who was there. Standing at his front door looking quite out of place in mismatched muggle clothing were Arthur Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, and Remus Lupin. Harry spent a few minutes watching them, looking for any signs they weren't who they appeared to be. Without realizing he was doing it, Harry reached out with his magic and briefly touched each of their auras, searching for any darkness. There were spells and potions that could change someone's physical appearance, but nothing that could completely change someone's magical aura.

Harry was not sure how he had acquired this gift or even how to control it. He had only noticed that is had happened a few times, mostly whenever he went outside and came across people he didn't know while walking next door to Mrs. Figgs house. He had not mentioned it in any of the letters he had written over the summer, not wanting the information to fall into the wrong hands. Anything that he could keep from Voldemort and potentially use against him was important, and right now being able to tell friend from foe was one of the most important things to Harry. He did make a note to tell Dumbledore the next time that he could. Harry had learned his lesson when it came to keeping secrets from Dumbledore. Dumbledore had himself kept secrets from Harry in the past which had caused their own problems, especially after Sirius' death. At first Harry had been mad at Dumbledore but eventually he had come to realize that the man was only trying to protect him, and if Harry had any chance of surviving the upcoming battle he was going to have to trust Dumbledore.

Satisfied that the people at the door were indeed who they seemed to be, Harry ran back to the front door to let them in.

"Wotcher Harry," said Tonks as soon as she saw him.

"Hey Tonks," Harry beamed at her before turning to great Lupin and Mr. Weasley.

"Harry, is that all of your stuff?" Lupin asked, pointing to the pile in the hallway.

Harry nodded and stepped aside to let the three in. The Dursleys had made themselves scarce as soon as they had heard the knock at the door.

"Good, all set then? We don't have much time for talk now; we've got other business to attend once we get you settled in." Lupin explained while shrinking Harry's belongings and placing them in his pocket.

"Yep," replied Harry, still very happy to be leaving the Dursleys. "Where are we going and how are we getting there?"

"The Burrow and we're using this port-key," answered Mr. Weasley, holding up what appeared to be a broken umbrella. "It's going to be activated in about one minute, so if we're all set let's get ready."

Harry, Tonks, Lupin, and Mr. Weasley all touched the umbrella and a moment later Harry felt the familiar pull as the port-key activate and whisked them all away to the Burrow.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Hello chapter two. Thank you everyone who read and reviewed chapter one. Just a reminder that this story is going to be a romance between Draco and Harry, so if you don't like slash you probably won't like this.

Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Harry Potter, but there are a few parts I wouldn't mind borrowing

* * *

Within moments of touching the port key, Harry found himself in front of the Burrow and in a rather enthusiastic hug from Molly Weasley.

"Oh Harry, how have you been? I've been so worried, have the Dursleys been feeding you, you're all skin and bones," said Mrs. Weasley not releasing Harry in the least bit. Truthfully Harry didn't mind though. It felt nice to be held in such a loving embrace, even if he was starting to find it hard to breathe.

"Molly, give the poor boy some room to breathe," interrupted Mr. Weasley, noticing that Harry had started to turn purple. "You've got a few weeks left of summer to spend plumping up the boy and making up for the less than stellar care he received from the Dursleys. We need to let him get settled before the meeting tonight. I'm sure Dumbledore would be most displeased to find out you smothered Harry before he got a chance to see him."

Mrs. Weasley blushed and released Harry before placing her arm around his waist and guiding him towards the front door. Before entering she turned back and said, "Harry will have time to get settled after he has had a nice big breakfast." Leaving no room for argument she gently nudged Harry through the door.

Inside the house Harry found himself seated at the table with a plate in front of him piled with enough food to feed about three grown men. Realizing how hungry he was Harry quickly dug in and had made a sizeable dent in his meal when the front door crashed open and in rushed Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. Once again Harry found himself in an enthusiastic hug as both Ginny and Hermione glomped him at the same time. Ron just stood back laughing at his friend's surprised expression.

"Harry it's good to see you!" exclaimed Hermione when she released him from her death grip. "How have you been? I am so glad you are here, I've only been here since yesterday and I've already had to stop Ron twice from sneaking out to come break you out of the Dursleys. I told him that Dumbledore would not keep you there all summer, especially after what happened last year with the dementors, but of course he never listens to me."

"Hey that's not true!" Ron protested loudly. "I listen to you lots. I was just looking out for Harry. No way was I going to let my best mate spend the whole summer with the Dursleys."

"Thanks Ron," Harry said beaming at his friend before turning to the girl still embracing him. "Hello Gin."

"Hey Harry," she said giving him a smile as she let go. "Just so you know I would have helped Ron break you out. I'm glad you're here."

"All right guys," Mr. Weasley came in and handed Harry his still shrunken luggage, "It's time for Harry to get settled. He'll be staying in you room Ron. Tonks, Lupin, and I are going to go take care of some business. We'll be back by dinner time, and the rest of the Order will be joining us, including Dumbledore. There are things that must be discussed, and changes coming up that you won't like too much. Remember we're all working towards the same goal. Try not to get into too much trouble while I am gone too. Your mom's still a little mad over that stunt you pulled yesterday."

"Stunt?" Harry asked.

"We'll tell you later," Ron said quickly before turning to his dad. "Bye dad, don't worry we'll be perfectly well behaved while you are gone."

"Oh I doubt that," Mr. Weasley chuckled. "Just try to keep the explosions to a minimum."

Harry watched him leave and then turned back to his friends who were all doing their best to look innocent. "Explosions?"

"Come on, let's go up to our room and get you unpacked, I'll explain along the way." Ron said running up the stairs. Harry smiled at how good it felt to be back at the Burrow and quickly followed his friends up the stairs.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as Ron, Hermione, and Ginny helped Harry unpack. They took turns telling him all about their summer so far, making sure not to mention Sirius or anything else that had happened that night at the ministry of magic. They also told Harry all they knew about the war, but it was not much more than what he already knew himself. Soon the four friends found themselves sitting at elongated picnic tables, surrounded by members of the order including Dumbledore.

Dinner was a pleasant affair. Everyone was trying to keep things from getting too serious, for which Harry was grateful. He knew that once dinner was over and they started talking about the war, things were going to get very serious very fast. Harry was enjoying himself surrounded by people he cared for, and in turn people who cared for him. All too soon the plates were cleared and everyone gathered in the Burrow's living room, which had been enlarged to accommodate the crowd.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were very surprised when they were allowed to join the meeting without any fuss. Ginny and Ron even looked a little disappointed. They had smuggled in some of Fred and George's extendable ears and had come up with several plans to be able to listen in to the meeting. They were a little miffed that their planning had been wasted.

"My dear friends, thank you for all being here. What I am about to discuss with you is of the utmost importance. I ask that you let me explain in full before you ask any questions. Some of you may find this a bit upsetting, but I ask for your patience as all will be explained. I would also like to remind you that what you are about to learn here is being told in great confidence and should not be discussed with anyone who is not present. Once the last of our group arrives we will begin." As Dumbledore said this, there was a knock on the front door and Mrs. Weasley hurried to answer it.

Everyone watched as she opened the door and Severus Snape strode in. he glared around the room, resting his gaze on Harry for a moment, before turning around and calling out. "Hurry up and get in here. You are only delaying the inevitable by stalling outside the door."

Harry's breath caught in his mouth as he watched two figures emerge from behind Snape and enter the Burrow with similar looks of disgust. He tore his gaze away from the intruders to look at Dumbledore, hoping there had been some mistake. Dumbledore was smiling brightly at the two effectively dashing Harry's hopes. There standing not ten feet away were two of the last people he had ever expected to see; Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

Mrs. Weasley barely had the door shut before Ron, Ginny, and Harry jumped out of their seats and started protesting loudly. Hermione remembered Dumbledore's words about patience and opted to remain seated until she knew all the details surrounding this new unwelcome intrusion.

"What the hell are the bloody ferret and his sidekick doing in our house?" Ron yelled reaching for his wand.

"Sidekick! Look who's talking Weasel." Blaise yelled back.

"Get the fuck out now before I curse the both of you!" Ginny screeched also reaching for her wand.

"Ginny, Ron, watch your language." Mrs. Weasley cried out while Lupin jumped up and disarmed both of them, causing the two to direct their yelling at him instead.

"Malfoy what are you doing here?" Harry yelled. "Shouldn't you be out with you father, the escaped convict, kissing Voldemort's feet and killing innocent people?"

"Innocent people, eh Potter?" Draco spat. "Perhaps like everyone's favorite big black dog. How is your godfather anyways? Oh that's right he's dead and it's all because of you."

Harry didn't even bother drawing his wand. He just balled up his fists and lunged at Malfoy. His fist was inched from Malfoy's face when a voice bellowed out, halting everyone in the room.

"ENOUGH!" boomed Dumbledore. "Harry come back here and sit down at once. Ron, Ginny, you will not be getting your wands back until I am confident you are not going use them against anyone in this house. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini, may I remind you that you are among people who are trying to help you. They will not take kindly to insults against their friends and family, especially those who are no longer around to defend themselves. Please come in and once we are all settled we can continue this meeting."

"Sorry Professor." Ron, Ginny and Harry said, still glaring at the intruders as they took their seats. Draco and Blaise remained silent as they stalked into the room and took seats as far away from everyone as they could get.

Dumbledore looked around the room and when he was certain there were going to be no more immediate interruptions he began his tale.


End file.
